Meet Hennessey’s 1200bhp Caddy

US tuner shoehorns in 7.0-litre twin-turbo V8 into Cadillac CTS-V, creates hole in the universe

John Hennessey doesn't build cars. He builds bombs. Supercharged, turbocharged, V8-powered weapons capable of cataclysmic tyre destruction and straight-line annihilation. Welcome to his newest toy, soon to be deployed to US military units around the world*.

Naturally, the inner cynic will be shrieking at the screen, but Mr Hennessey has form - case in point, the Venom GT. And, essentially, this is a more comfortable, coupe-version of that car.

Hennessey has ditched the standard Cadillac CTS-V's rather lovely 6.2-litre supercharged V8, and dropped in a 7.0-litre twin-turbo V8 - like in the Venom - to produce up to 1,226bhp and 1,109lb ft of torque. In a recent dyno test, he recorded one thousand horses at the rear wheels.

As such, the ‘Hennessey VR1200 Twin Turbo' will accelerate from 0-62mph - in "ideal conditions", that is - in just 2.9 seconds, hit the quarter mile in 10.2 and top out at 242mph. Quick, right?

That lump gets some special attention, too. The pistons are forged from aluminium, the connecting rods and crankshaft are forged from steel, he's lumped in high-flow cylinder heads, upgraded fuel injectors and a fuel delivery system, dual wastegastes, twin ball bearing turbos with adjustable boost control (800bhp, 1000bhp and 1226bhp), and an air-to-water intercooler.

Making a futile attempt to prevent nuclear Armageddon are a set of Brembo brakes, lowered suspension and Michelin Pilot super sport tyres, all fitted under a widened carbon bodykit (to allow for bigger wheels). Inside, Mr Hennessey has decided to bequeath much luxury to make your probable journey into the afterlife a more pleasant experience, via upgraded leather and alcantara.

Have a watch here to see it light up the dyno, and once you've decided, better get on the phone quick: he's planning to build just 12 of these nukes, each costing $295,000. You can spec it as a saloon or estate, too.